Neville, who hung up his boots last season, believes most clubs in United’s position would have attempted to buy themselves out of trouble.
United could be missing Rio Ferdinand (back), Nani (foot), Wayne Rooney (ankle) and Phil Jones (leg) for this weekend’s huge FA Cup fourth round showdown against rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
United are 9/4 with bet365 to win the Premier League title this season and can also be backed at 11/2 to clinch the FA Cup.
Neville insists: “I’ve never seen it work where a player comes in January, signs for big money and settles before the start of next season.
“Sir Alex has never been one to panic. United have had a lot of injuries, but that’s not an excuse because the reason you have a big squad at a big club is you’re able to cope with it.”